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   Don’t trade with criminals this Christmas
Local people are being warned by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to be on the look out for traders selling counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes or alcohol as the Christmas season gets underway. As part of a crackdown against the illicit trade, over the last six months, HMRC officers have visited a number of commercial and private addresses in the North West where nearly 17 million cigarettes, over 260,100 litres of illegal alcohol and 1,650 kilos of other tobacco products have been seized. Low cost tobacco products and alcohol can often seem like an attractive offer to local people, lured into purchasing them at what seem like bargain prices. However, the truth is these sales are unlicensed and unregulated, and often those involved are not concerned if they are selling to underage young people. In addition, with expertly crafted packaging it is almost impossible to spot whether the cigarettes or spirits are counterfeit. Like any other counterfeit product, individuals don’t know exactly what they are buying. Graham Forbes, HMRC Special Investigations Manager said: “With an estimated £2bn in revenue being drained from the public purse each year by tobacco fraud alone, the problem is a real one, which we are determined to crack. We have active and effective teams of officers operating across the North West to disrupt this illicit trade which has a devastating impact on legitimate retailers having to compete against these black market traders, particularly at Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year.” “Our officers have seized illicit cigarettes and alcohol in pubs, social clubs, off-licences, markets, tobacconists, newsagents, confectioners, as well as in some very unlikely locations such as farms, garden centres, fast food outlets including mobile burger vans and on one occasion even from the boot of a taxi cab.” He added: “We are keen to work closely with local people and communities in the fight against this type of crime and would encourage anyone who knows of someone selling cheap or duty free cigarettes and alcohol to contact the Customs hotline on 0800 59 5000 or email customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.” Greater Manchester area Manchester, Cheetham Hill - one of the biggest single illicit alcohol hauls this year in the UK involved over 25,000 litres of counterfeit vodka seized in the Cheetham Hill area in October. Manchester - there have been smaller but no less significant seizures across Greater Manchester this year including – in September HMRC special investigations inland officers accompanied by local trading standards seized 51,800 cigarettes from a shop in the Old Trafford area. The cigarettes were hidden behind a false door in a confectionary display unit. The seizure equates to £8,655 in evaded UK duties. (Photos available new not released before) Manchester - two Manchester men who pretended to import Christmas snowmen in a plot to smuggle nine million cigarettes into the UK through Felixstowe docks, were jailed in September 2010. The cigarettes had a potential tax loss of over £1.4 million. (Photos sent previously) Manchester - during a check on wholesalers across the north west region this summer wines, cider and beers were seized from traders in the Manchester area equating to £58,346 in evaded UK duty. (Photos available showing the scale of seizures in Gtr Manchester) Manchester – in April over 29,000 cigarettes and 8 kilos of HRT was seized in the Gorton and Longsight areas from retail and domestic premises. Estimated evaded duty was £6,000. During the same month a further 54,000 cigarettes were seized including some that had been sent in the parcel post from China to the UK this time with an estimated evasion amount of £11,000. Manchester - over £25,000 worth of illegal and counterfeit tobacco and alcohol were seized by HMRC in raids on homes, markets and local business premises across Greater Manchester in March 2010. Officers from HMRC, supported by Greater Manchester Police and Manchester Trading Standards visited premises across the city in a two-day operation targeting the transport, storage and sale of illicit excise goods. Manchester, Cheetham Hill - during the operation HMRC officers uncovered what they suspect was an illegal tobacco packing factory in a residential property in Cheetham Hill. Officers found boxes containing more than 40,000 counterfeit ‘Golden Virginia’ tobacco packets and seals. They believe these would have being filled with counterfeit hand rolling tobacco and sold illegally on the black market to unwitting members of the public across Greater Manchester. Manchester, Cheetham Hill - a trader in Cheetham Hill was selling duty free cigarettes from their shop, but was storing the illegal goods in a vehicle outside. Officers found more than 600 duty free cigarettes for sale in the shop, with more than 12,000 hidden inside the vehicle. Both the cigarettes and vehicle were seized. Manchester, Beswick - officers from HMRC and Trading Standards also visited a market in Beswick, where they detected illegal sales of counterfeit goods including clothing and DVD’s and illegal cigarettes. HMRC officers seized almost 13,000 cigarettes and 10 kilos of illegal hand rolling tobacco. Officers also seized two vehicles, which had been used to store and transport the illegal haul, along with more than £1,000 in cash seized under the proceeds of crime act. Manchester Airport – an unemployed father who borrowed cash then bought thousands of cigarettes in Abu Dhabi, which he planned to sell in the UK for a profit, was sentenced to a community order on Monday 13 December for trying to smuggle them through Manchester airport. A HMRC investigation discovered that he had borrowed £10,000 then claimed he bought 67,000 cigarettes 'on the spur of the moment' when he was on a family holiday. He was stopped by UK Border Agency officers in the Green Channel as he returned from Abu Dhabi in August this year. As well as the family luggage for the trip, he had six brand new suitcases filled with cigarettes. The duty due on the cigarettes was £16,500. Manchester Airport - a Stoke on Trent man was sentenced to three months imprisonment in January 2010 for evading over £10,000 in excise duty on cigarettes and tobacco, which he tried to smuggle into the UK via the Channel Tunnel, Manchester Airport and Portsmouth Ferry Port. Between April 2008 and May 2009 he had attempted to smuggle a total of 78 kilos of hand rolling tobacco and 8600 cigarettes into the UK. Manchester – in February 2010 a successful fiscal marks prosecution concluded involving a retailer and an employee from the Cheetham Hill Road area. This prosecution case stemmed from three HMRC visits to the shop in February 2009, illegal cigarettes were found on each occasion in total 13,051 cigarettes were seized during the visits. The cigarettes were found in various concealments around the shop, in the living accommodation and in a vehicle. This was not the first time illegal tobacco products had been found at this shop. The owner of the shop received a fine of £155 plus costs of £200 and a compensation order for the duty evasion amount of £2,268.61. Whilst the shop manager received a fine of £130 plus costs of £200. They were both warned by the judge at Manchester Magistrates Court that future offences would lead to a custodial sentence. Salford – in the summer of 2010, HMRC joined forces with local police, trading standards and the Foods Standards Agency seizing tobacco, beer, wine and spirits as well as approximately £3,000 in suspected criminal cash from several wholesalers and retailers in the area. Approximately 19,000 cans of lager, 430 litres of counterfeit vodka and whiskey, 37,400 illicit cigarettes and 17 kilos of hand rolling tobacco. Total evaded duty for all the goods was estimated at £15,250. Salford – a van driver from Salford was jailed for one year at Maidstone Crown Court in March 2010, for attempting to smuggle 876,200 cigarettes into the UK through Dover, following an investigation by HMRC officers. The revenue evaded was £144,213. Salford - a number of retail premises across the Cheetham Hill, Rusholme and Salford areas were also caught trading in illicit cigarettes and tobacco during the March 2010 operation. A shopkeeper in Salford was caught storing and selling duty free wine and officers found more than 380 litres, which is around 500 bottles, hidden in a storeroom. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
